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Mortar lines
My normal method for colouring brickwork involves mortar colour paint and a selection of brown colour pencil crayons. Sadly, for some surfaces, this doesn't work as the brick mouldings are too sharp...
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Warehouse Wednesday: Around the back of a bit of art deco
From a railway carriage, Flavel's factory is an art deco gem.Admittedly one that is now buried behind dirt and many years of modification, but a gem nonetheless.Around the back however, things are a...
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Table and chairs
Laser cutting is a marvelous thing. The ability to produce perfectly cut out parts never ceases to amaze me. Given the chance, a cutter is the one bit of kit I'd add to my dream workshop. The photo...
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NG chassis ideas required
OK, narrow gauge nerds, take a look at this:Wheel diameter: 5.5mmWheelbase: 8mmHeight from rail top: 18mm I bought this from this seller on eBay for less than £25 RTR. Placed on some 009 track and...
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Derby 2016
I've seen Derby Roundhouse on TV a few times and it always looked a fascinating building. The model railway exhibition moving in just gave me an excuse to go. First tip: Ignore Google when travelling...
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Ruined barn identified
When I started work on the Skytrex ruined barn casting, someone suggested it had been mastered by David Wright of Dovedale models. Having chatted with him at Derby, I can confirm this is the case....
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A Beginners Guide to Model Railways
In a couple of months' time, I'll be doing something new - running a model railway course for a day. The people at Dillington House contacted me about the idea and after a little discussion, we came up...
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Another solution looking for a problem
This is a joystick intended for use in an arcade game - something like one of those claw games where you might (but probably won't) hook a cuddly toy and transfer it to a hopper so you can get your...
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Warehouse Wednesday: Not a warehouse, but looking like one
Once upon a time, if houses were built beside a canal, they faced away from the water as if to ignore it. Some time in the late 1970s, things changed and the waterside aspect became appealing....
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Safety first - clamp it!
Temporary or exhibition layouts have one huge advantage over those firmly screwed to a wall - you can flip them on their backs for access when wiring up.Of course, the model needs to be firmly set up...
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No panic, just let me at the plastic
"You realise it's just over 3 weeks to the boat club open day don't you?"My dad has been looking at the calendar. He's right. 3 weeks until my chairman's challenge boat needs to be ready and it's only...
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Fixing a loose hammer head
Months ago, I inherited a coal hammer. I know it's a coal hammer, partly because of the shape, but mostly because the words "Coal Hammer" are cast into either side of the head. It's been kicking around...
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Model Lifeboat Day 2016
No-one likes car parking duty much but as I own a hi-viz jacket and am quite happy to stand around being useful, I volunteered to do it for the KMBC lifeboat day this year. Apart from a tantrum from...
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Burning the midnight oil
When I get into a project, I really get into it. This photo shows the state my boat was in after midnight a few days ago. 4 hours work while a succession of Battlestar Galactica episodes (the original...
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Successful scratchbuilding just takes good bodging
Making models from scratch is a concept that terrifies people, but it shouldn'tThe photo illustrates some bodgery that has helped my boat look good. When I fitted the wheelhouse, I knew that the front...
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Warehouse Wednesday: I need a garage like that!
Tucked down a side street in Leamington Spa is this unusual building. Presumably it was once a row of terraced houses but over the years has morphed into the home of Merica Metals and a site that I'm...
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S gauge, a working van and playground J94 in BRM
This month I tick off an item on my model making "bucket list" as I dabble in S scale.This half way house between OO and O has appealed to me since I first became aware of it in a 1983 issue of Scale...
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How to build a locomotive climbing frame
As there wasn't space in the magazine to give my playground J94 the step-by-step treatment, I've blogged it over on the BRM blog.
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Not such a bargain
2mm thick cork for 3 quid a roll? Not bad from a high street bookseller you might think.So, I measured the contents. The sheet is 60 X 30cm.Which works out at 1800 square cm, 600 Sq cm per £.A roll of...
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Flowers good enough to eat
My sister is doing a sugarcraft flower making course. Apparently it's very popular and even held on a weekday morning, places are difficult to come by. The results are fascinating. After 4 weeks we...
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